Recombinant Zoster Vaccination Linked to Reduced Risk of Dementia in Older Adults

Two-dose recombinant zoster vaccination (RZV) was associated with a significantly lower risk of new-onset dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), among U.S. adults aged 65 years or older. In this Medicare-based study, individuals who received RZV were matched to unvaccinated counterparts by age, sex, and race/ethnicity, all without prior dementia and with sufficient enrollment history. Over follow-up, dementia incidence was notably lower in the vaccinated group (10.45 vs. 15.73 per 1000 person-years). Time-dependent analyses showed consistently reduced risks within both ≤3 years and >3 years after vaccination, with hazard ratios of 0.67 and 0.74 for overall dementia, 0.72 and 0.83 for AD, and 0.67 and 0.66 for VD, respectively. These findings were further supported by sensitivity analyses incorporating induction periods, reinforcing that RZV may confer protective effects against multiple forms of dementia in older populations. Source: https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/